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sprinkles925

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    diamond lounge?

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    I received an email per my upcoming summer cruise and was advised there is now a private lounge diamond passengers have access to with snacks, drinks, etc. Can anyone who has had experience provide me with some feedback please? Is it it on all ships? ( I will be on Horizon)

    • Like 1

    Late Dining

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, torilyn said:

    Hello

     We're leaving for a cruise on the 18th. We are scheduled for late dining. Is there anyway to change this to any time dining when we get on the ship. I've been on cruises years ago and I remember  going to the dining room at a certain time to see the maître d' and change times. Is that still the same? 

    thanks!

     

    You can do so when you embark or you can even ask your agent (if you have one) to request the change.

    Just off the Horizon!! Review! Jan. 26-Feb 2

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    36 minutes ago, markntara said:

    Did you use the internet?  and if so, can you comment on the speed.

     

    Thanks in advance.

    No, I didn't get the package. I had pretty good internet while we were in port. When we were at sea, my internet didn't work at all. 

    I have gotten the package in the past though, it is sort of slow. Not sure if it's any different now.

    Breakfast Pizza

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    1 hour ago, cggurl said:

    I'll be on the Dream in a couple weeks. I know pizza is 24/7...is breakfast pizza, which I love, served in the morning? 

    That's actually a great idea as my dad and husband ate pizza for breakfast almost everyday on our cruise last week lol. They don't have an actual pizza w/ eggs/ bacon & what not on it..... but they do have the normal pizza available. 

    • Like 1

    Just off the Horizon!! Review! Jan. 26-Feb 2

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

    Thanks for taking the time to review your cruise.  I'm glad you enjoyed it.

     

    I share your opinion of the steakhouse.  The first few times we ate there the entire experience was wonderful.  The last two cruises, not so much.  The only saving grace on our very last cruise was the steak tartare.  It was fantastic, but overall not worth the upcharge and we've cancelled our reservation for our upcoming cruise.

     

    Thanks again for posting.

    You're welcome 🙂 It's sad to see the steakhouse has gone downhill. Oh well... "maybe" if enough people say something about it, they will do something to change it. I don't think we will be going to the steakhouse on our next cruise sadly. 😞 

    Just off the Horizon!! Review! Jan. 26-Feb 2

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    20 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

    Thanks for your review and opines.

    I too found that my filet at the Steakhouse (Jan 15) wasn't as good as the one on seaday brunch. And I missed the old days when they showed you the meat choices.  DW's lamb chop was excellent though.  And we did the "art of the Table" dessert.

    Your next cruise on a ship with JiJi's you must make it a must do.  That was our best dinner the whole cruise. 

    Glad your DH loved the spa showers.  They are bigger than the ones in the cabin, but only 2 (one an HC version).  Never a problem using them though and you don't need a spa pass.

    Oh yeah, I forgot to mention they didn't bring out the meat tray like they used to! I saw several people getting the "art of table" dessert and almost got it! How was it? 

    Definitely will do JiJi's on our next cruise! 

    Thank you for the spa tips!

    Just off the Horizon!! Review! Jan. 26-Feb 2

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    CARNIVAL HORIZON REVIEW

    JAN. 26TH – FEB 2ND

    Hi all! This is my first review so please bare with me. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos, sorry! These are just my personal opinions/feedback. I hope you enjoy!

     

    Background:

    I am 30, I traveled with my husband (35) and my mom (61) and dad (70). We are from the Tampa Bay area. My mom, dad & I are all Diamond cruises (we have been cruising since I was about 7 years old!). This was my husband’s “first” cruise. Technically his first one was on the Big Red Boat way back when, lol! He did not enjoy his trip on that ship, so he was hesitant about cruising…. (wait for the end of my review!)

     

    Arrival/Embarkation

    We left the Tampa area around 7:45 Saturday morning and were in Miami before 1pm. We made several stops along the way. Check in process was a breeze! It was all said and done within about 20 minutes. We were on the ship having lunch around 1:30pm.


    Staterooms:

    My husband and I stayed in room 14218 and my parents in 14210 (both balconies). Our room steward Alfredo was the best we have ever had!!! The rooms were very nice. My husband’s only complaint was the shower was too small, but it was no big deal for me! He ended up utilizing the spa showers which he loved. Since we were on deck 14, we had “special” access to the Serenity spa area which included the hot tablets to lay on (always crowded) thermal suite jacuzzi, steam rooms, big showers. My parents and husband used the Serenity area every day! They loved it!

     

    The Ship:

    Always very clean! The crew was always going around and picking up items. Probably the friendliest crew I have ever encountered. Everyone was always in a good mood. The ship is easy to navigate. I can’t really comment too much on the night life as we never really made it out after dinner. My husband and dad would drink their booze during the day and after dinner would be exhausted. I’m pregnant, so I was always ready to sleep, lol! However, there was a lot going on at all times. The casino was very smoky so I avoided that area always. My husband and dad enjoyed some of the gambling. The Skybox sports area was a neat place to watch some games. We also visited the arcade which was fun! We didn’t make it to any IMAX movies, however on one of the sea days coming back that placed was packed as it was raining outside. The Havana bar area was very nice. I didn’t care for the Liquid Lounge for shows and never have. I miss the old school Carnival Show rooms. The décor around the ship was nice and subtle. 

     

    The Food:

    Food overall, was very good! We only ate in the dining room twice. The food the first night wasn’t the greatest. We went again on the 6th night (formal night) and it was MUCH better. We ate at Cucina Del Capitano twice, it was delicious! The garlic bread they give to your table at the beginning is great! Both times we went I ordered a Cesear salad, Minestrone soup, Chicken parm & spaghetti. The chocolate cookie (biscotti) dessert had to have been my favorite dessert of the trip. We wanted to try JiJi’s (Asian) however we couldn’t get a reservation. We did have sushi once at Bonsai, and it was good. My only complaint with Bonsai were the noodle bowls. They claimed it was ramen noodles, but really it was spaghetti, which in my opinion totally took away from the dish. It was still good though!

    We went to the Steakhouse for my husband’s birthday. It wasn’t the best experience. The manager, Karina (I believe) was someone we had encounter 2 years prior on the Vista. It was New Year’s Eve (also my mom’s birthday) and I had made reservations months in advance (keep in mind, we were also Diamond Cruisers In 2016). Well, the Steakhouse was nearly empty, and she took us to a table OUTSIDE with rain/wind blowing everywhere. It was just a mess. She was not nice when I told her I didn’t want to sit there. We ended up getting it resolved but I was shocked to see her again and I’m sure she remembered us. She stuck us at a table in the back, which wasn’t a big deal, so I let it slide. The steakhouse is open to the piano bar and the pianist played some nice tunes for dinner. The food at the Steakhouse is just not the same as it used to be. I used to look forward going to the Steakhouse! It was the best part of the trip. We all ordered steals which were good, but not great. My husband and dad agreed the filet in the main dining room on formal night was better. They even said the filet at brunch (steak and eggs- more to come) was better too. The sides were just awful. My husband ordered fries, they were cold and tasteless. The mac & cheese was just so oily I felt awful eating more than 1 bite. The onion rings were decent, but cold. The best part of my meal was the French onion soup. My parents and husband loved the stuffed mushroom appetizer. My husband didn’t care for the dessert (he had cheesecake) my mom & I had the chocolate sphere, which was ok, but it was just like eating melted chocolate with no other textures to enjoy. My dad ordered the lime sorbet which he enjoyed. They did away with the yummy focaccia breads at the beginning of the meal and different butters. I miss the old days ☹ oh well, it still was overall a decent experience. Just not worth the money, IMO.

     

    We ate at Pig & Anchor one night and everything was delicious! The service wasn’t the best, but the food was great! I highly recommend going. I had the trashcan nachos and chicken flatbread. I could have done without the flatbread, as I picked off everyone else’s food! The mac & cheese was MUCH better than the Steakhouse.

     

    Evidently the Horizon is one of the few ships offering the “new” sea day brunch. It was great! We went all 3 sea days. It was always super busy. My husband and dad LOVED the steak and eggs. It was a filet, served with fried eggs, spinach and fries. We also tried to the skillet cake, which is like a SUPER thick pancake (it had marshmallows on top- YUM) & the 12 hour French toast. All very, very good! You have to go at least once on your trip!

     

    The food at the Marketplace on the Lido was always very good. Lots of variety, we loved the pizza and ate there almost every day. The new desserts are great! Much better than the desserts they used to have.  The peanut butter & marshmallow cake & Funfetti cake on embarkation day are must haves! I also had several good chocolate cake slices throughout the week too. I ate at the deli once and had a chili cheese dog. It was super yummy! All in all, we loved eating at the Marketplace and thought the food was good, and always a nice variety and something for everyone. I can’t comment on Guy’s Burger’s or the Blue Iguana as I didn’t eat there, however the items I saw other people getting looked delicious.

    Islands:

    Grand Turk: such an easy process to get off and enjoy the beach, we spent most of our day on the beach. The locals are friendly, but beware, my husband and dad constantly were being poked at to buy all sorts of drugs. The locals were also smoking marijuana all over the beach. I’m not against marijuana by any means, but I tried to stay away from the smoke as I am pregnant and don’t want to take any risks.

     

    San Juan: We went to the fort, a quick cab ride from the ship. The weather was beautiful. I loved the fort area and walking around was nice. They had kitties around which made me very happy to see as I missed my cats at home. We went to Raice’s (sp?)  restaurant after which was recommended by our cab driver. It was ok, not great but did the job as a snack to hold us over until dinner on the ship later, which I believe we did eat at the Lido.

     

    St. Kitts: We took a cab right over the Cockleshell beach. It was a nice beach! We spent the day relaxing in the sun & swimming. We enjoyed our time there.

     

    St. Maarten: We went to the beach (I’m having a major brain fart) where the airplanes fly over. It was SUPER crowded, however we made the most of it and saw some HUGE planes (Delta, American Airlines, Air France) fly over several times. It was an awesome experience! The water was super rough at times. They have restaurant/bar which is shaded (my mom hung out there) and you can order food/drinks and watch the planes fly over too.

     

    We went to the Platinum/Diamond party on the last day which was nice. The drinks were flowing, they had pre-made rum punches available, red & white wines, beer, and a table with Titos & Lemonade where someone would mix your drink. You can also order whatever drink you want and the bartender will make it for you. They passed around shrimp cocktail, black bean/rice cakes, & pork sliders. It was a pleasant experience and fun/nostalgic looking back on the all the ships we have sailed in the past.

     

    Debarkation process was painless! We had priority debarkation (luggage tag 1) and we were off the ship by 7:20 am! We were on our way home in the car by 7:45, no joke! I believe we made it home around 12:15 with a couple quick stops.

     

    Overall, our trip on the Horizon was a great time! My husband is now hooked on cruising and wants to book another ASAP, LOL! I really had nothing that stood out to really “complain” about. I would recommend the Horizon to everyone!! She’s a great ship!

    If you have any questions, please ask! I will do my best to answer! 😊

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    Non-alcoholic drinks at the Alchemy

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    11 hours ago, bahacca said:

    I saw non-alcohol beer, but not wine on one menu. I wasn't looking for it, though. My daughters LOVED the drinks the mixologists made them without alcohol. They said they would never again get virgin pina coladas/miami Vices if Alchemy was on board. They just told the mixologist "Something with crushed up berries" or "Something with coconut in it". They loved all of their drinks! And I do beleive you can order any of the menu items sans alcohol as well, but I'm not sure how they will taste compared to the alcoholic varieties.

    Thank you so much! Looking forward to trying some yummy drinks!

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